Peer Research Assistants

The Library's Peer Research Assistants are Amherst College students who are trained to offer drop-in research support to other students. Peer Research Assistants can help students with getting started on a research paper; navigating library databases to find sources; finding books on a specific topic; formatting citations; and other research-related questions.

Read more about our current team below!

Location & Hours:

Frost Library Reference Desk

• Sunday, 3pm - 11pm
• Monday - Thursday, 5 - 9pm 

Class Year: 2026
Majors: Sociology, Education Studies, and Spanish
About me: Hi everyone, I'm Érica Ayala (she/her), and I am originally from the Chicago suburbs. I am a Junior studying Sociology, Education Studies, and Spanish—please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the majors. 

Throughout my time here, I’ve worked with La Causa and La Casa, focusing on building community and advocating for Latinx students. Additionally, I’ve done some work with the local Amherst Regional public schools as a volunteer and TA for the Education Studies department. 

My research on campus has mainly focused on how first-generation, low-income Latinas pursue education, and how they are influenced by the traditional and cultural practices of their parents’ home countries. I’m really looking forward to getting to meet you all!

Class year: 2025
Major: English & AAPI Studies
About me: Hi! My name is Gabby (she/her), and I’m from Austin, TX! My research concerns how postcolonial Filipino authors represent relationality to Black, Indigenous, and Native American people, providing grounds for interracial solidarity. I’ve been doing research since my freshman year, and understand how confusing starting out can be. My hope as a Peer Research Assistant is to connect people with the abundance of resources and opportunities at Amherst so it can be a little easier for them than it was for me.

Class year: 2024
Major: Economics & Computer Science
About Me: I am Guilherme (he/him), Junior, Economics and Computer Science double major. My research focuses, from a public policy perspective, on different aspects of Brazilian education that can impact and improve students' results during school and in their adult lives. I really like to hear about other people's research and to try to think about ways of exploring topics related to any major. Please reach out if you need any support!

Class year: 2025
Major: Mathematics & Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought
About me: Hi! My name is Madina Oraz (they/them) and I am from Uralsk, Kazakhstan. The reason I decided to become a Peer Research Assistant is because I believe that everyone is capable of producing great research, regardless of their background! I remember how afraid and lost I was when I got my first paper assigned during my first-year seminar, but thanks to support from my peers and mentors, I am very confident in my research abilities now. Learning more about how our library functions as well as being able to help out fellow students makes this job extremely exciting for me!

Class Year: 2025
Major: English & Russian
About me: Hi! My name is Merrick (he/they) and I’m from Corbin, Kentucky! My research focuses primarily on comparing Soviet and 20th-century American literature. I’ve worked as an Access Services Assistant at the library since my freshman year, and I’m excited to help people further understand all of the great resources that Frost offers to get started with research!

Class Year: 2027
Majors: Physics & Math
About me: Hi! I'm Tooba (she/her), a Physics and Math major from Pakistan! On campus, I am a member of the Hanneke Ion Trap lab, where I spent the past summer working on optical simulations as a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow. Research can seem intimidating, but thanks to the amazing mentors and resources at Amherst, I was able to get involved in research as early as my first year of college. Frost is my home, and it's where I spend most of my days wrestling with physics problem sets, so I'm really excited to explore and share all that it has to offer beyond a great study spot!